DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the applicant's Description) The Developmental Biology Training Program (DBTP) at Duke University has the mission of training predoctoral students in developmental biology and developmental genetics at the highest level. The program provides a broad intellectual landscape and encourages students to learn aspects of developmental biology well beyond the boundaries of their narrow research topics. This new program grew out of two very successful and ongoing training programs at Duke University. The Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program and the Genetics Training Program have been the source of most students who enter Duke University and then find that developmental biology is attractive to them as a research area. Five years ago, with the number of students interested in developmental biology growing, the faculty in the basic sciences began to build the Developmental Biology Training Program. At the core of which is the excellent research environment in the basic sciences of the Medical School and the biological sciences at the College. Eight departments are involved in the Program: the Departments of Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neurobiology, and Pharmacology. Clinical scientists with a strong focus on basic research are members in the program as well. Through the Developmental Biology Training Program, predoctoral students receive classroom and laboratory training that prepares them for competitive research careers. Statistics indicate that most of previous graduates have remained active in research, and suggest that these trainees have been prepared for productive careers in science. The investigators' goal is to build on this tradition of excellence in training.